


Tender Ministrations

by BitterSweet (PinkOrchid)



Category: Suits (TV)
Genre: M/M, possible spoilers for S2e12 Blood in the Water
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-22
Updated: 2015-04-06
Packaged: 2018-03-17 13:19:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3530852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkOrchid/pseuds/BitterSweet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes you find what you need in the most unlikely of places</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hand on Heart

**Author's Note:**

> I was re-watching series 2 and couldn't help but be struck by the scene between Louis and Mike in the restroom when Louis is patching Mike up. There was something intense and almost intimate about it - and there was definitely something magnetic about Louis' eyes.. maybe it's that there was a real moment of connection between people who aren't typically friends, in contrast to how Harvey keeps Mike at such arm's length most of the time...  
> Also - not beta'd.. and I don't own anything save the bizarre plot, characters not mine and no disrespect intended.

When Mike reeled out of the elevator after he’d been kicked and beaten by Tess’ husband, clutching his side and bleeding from the nose, Louis didn’t stop to think. He ditched his box at the elevator doors and grabbed the blond-haired associate. Mike looked awful and Louis wasn’t about to leave a wounded man unattended. He set about patching the young associate up, his hands oddly tender. That’s probably the first thing that genuinely surprised Mike about Louis Litt. He had such gentle hands.

You see, for all that Louis could be sleazy and mean and sneaky (and boy could he be all those things), he actually was not a complete douche. And you couldn't say the guy didn't have feelings about things. When Mike thought about it, he could totally see how those dark, expressive eyes betrayed a mass of emotions roiling just beneath the older man’s skin. Whatever he did, he did because of how he was feeling. And he felt a lot. Mike could identify with that. He realised all of a sudden that Louis was quick to kindle any emotion, including, apparently, a capacity to care. Mike wondered how he hadn’t ever really thought about that before, the way Louis’ feelings were so near the surface all the time. It was the first time Mike could see that he might have something in common with the Junior Partner after all – though he would rather die before he’d admit that out loud to anyone – especially Harvey!

It was while Louis was tending to Mike’s cuts and bruises, dabbing Arnica cream beneath his eye, cleaning the blood away, that they got to talking - in a direct, honest way that was unusual between them. Maybe it was because Mike was sore and feeling vulnerable. Getting beaten up will do that to you, he thought. Or maybe it was because the other man was standing so close, right up in Mike’s personal space, touching him - but for once it did not feel alarmingly sleazy. His hands were on Mike’s arm, on his face. Louis’ fingers felt warm and soft and – hell, it was true – comforting on Mike’s skin. It was an incongruous form of contact, almost intimate, beyond what was normally appropriate for colleagues. And it had been a long time since anyone had done this kind of thing for Mike, probably not since he graduated High School. So when they slipped into an easy banter, it seemed the most natural thing in the world to talk, really talk, to the man. Mike was surprised at how it felt, suspended for a short moment in this bubble of gratitude and necessary proximity.

Of course the easy flow of conversation slipped to the topic of Harvey Specter, since that was another thing they had in common. Like it or not, Mike could appreciate that he and Louis both somehow craved Harvey’s approval, his elusive friendship. But whereas Mike still had it (mostly), Louis seemed to have lost it long ago. Mike felt sad for him. He knew the man acted badly pretty much all the time, but he began to see how some of that stemmed from something that looked a lot like hurt. He wondered how many of Louis’ choices had been underpinned by his hurt, his loneliness. Mike could get that, he felt it too. And he was grateful all over again that Harvey had been there to guide his puppy, to help clean up his messes. In that moment, in the bathroom, Mike got a tiny glimpse of the real person behind the caricature that had become Louis Litt. It was as if he saw the man for the very first time. Not the ridiculous pony-master or the embarrassingly inappropriate locker-room-towel-free guy, but the man. The man who could be hurt.

Louis wasn't a fool. He knew full well that when Mike asked for help with the figures for Harvey, that he was giving Louis a shot at redemption. It was a tiny door back in. It reminded Louis that he still had something to give, after all. And he was grateful beyond words. He'd forgotten how kind Mike could be.

They worked all night in Louis' office, shirt sleeves rolled up and jackets and ties discarded. The banter was warm and friendly and Louis' half-starved soul drank it up like it was vintage champagne. By morning they stank of day-old sweat and yesterday's takeout, but they had found what they needed. Just as they were about to finish up the last of the paperwork, Louis looked up, flicking a glance at Mike that could almost be labelled flirty, his expressive eyes almost magnetic in the darkened, pre-dawn office. "So, you and Harvey..." the question was crystal clear in the look that accompanied it, the sudden lift of the eyebrows, the suggestive smirk.

"Nah, not like that Louis. Really." Mike dropped eye contact, shaking his head slightly, almost absently. He looked very young and a little lost. But not, Louis noted, embarrassed.

A strange smile played on the older lawyer's lips. "But you would, wouldn't you. If he were only to ever _ask_. Right?" But it wasn't really a question and Mike didn't say anything. He didn't have to. It was embarrassingly obvious that if that longed-for but totally unexpected event ever came to pass, it would be totally a foregone conclusion.

Mike chanced a look at Louis then, meeting the other man's stare. To his everlasting surprise he saw only understanding in those eyes, a recognition, a kinship that made Mike suck in a breath. _Oh_ , he thought. _Of course. You too, Louis. You too._

***  
Two nights later, when pretty much all the other associates on this floor had disappeared for the night, Louis slipped up to Mike, working diligently at his desk. He caught the younger man’s attention by waving the new tube of Arnica he held in his in hand.

“Come on, Ross – up on the desk” he said, brooking no opposition. He was good at giving orders in a way that made you just want to comply. Mike hesitated, his eyes clearly showing reluctance, surprise, maybe even a little fear. That earned him an eye-roll and a droll look. “Oh don’t flatter yourself Mike, I just want to check your bruises. Consider it a follow up appointment. A thank you for giving me an 'in' with Harvey. Don’t look so surprised. Now, up!”

Mike hoisted his lithe frame up onto the desk, feet dangling, and Louis stepped confidently into the space between his knees. The light from Mike’s desk-lamp cast a suffused kind of glow, an island of light pooling softly in an abyss of shadows. And that’s the scene that greeted Harvey’s eyes as he rounded the corner. His associate surrounded by a golden glow, sitting on his desk, with Louis Litt between his legs, peering up at Mike’s face, fingers stroking across his cheekbones, staring into the Rookie’s clear blue eyes. Harvey gasped. They looked – they looked comfortable. There was no awkwardness. They were smiling god damn it. Mike was swinging one leg, smiling a genuine smile at the slimy little man. Wait, what? Harvey felt his sanity slowly slide a couple of notches to the left, like he had woken up in some strange alternate universe all of a sudden. A lesser man would have pinched himself.

"Louis! Get your hands off my associate!" Harvey all but barked. "This is bordering on harassment and don't think for one second Mike won't sue your ass!"

"Oh Puh-lease! As if I would take your sloppy seconds!" Louis' tone, complete with eye rolling, was clearly meant to be scathing in a dry kind of way, accompanied by a scoffing huff. 

The great Harvey Specter's face was absolutely priceless. "WHAT?" he spluttered, yes spluttered, on a rising note of shock, his colour rising, flushed red and spitting fire. "We're not - we haven't - it's not _like_ that - I.." It was as near speechless as Mike had ever seen the best closer in New York.

Louis shot one ironic glance at Mike, rolling his eyes, silently transmitting a shared insider joke. And to everyone's surprise, Mike let out a stifled chuckle. Louis' mouth twisted in a wry smirk, his dark eyes immediately seeking Mike's blue ones again, and holding in an intense stare. The two men spent a couple of tense seconds trying but failing to hide the mirth that shot between them, biting down on recalcitrant grins, before they both burst into gales of helpless laughter.

The more they laughed - with Louis _still_ stood between his rookie's legs, holding on to Mike to keep him up, god damn it! - the more annoyed Harvey became. _They're **laughing** at me! This is ludicrous!_ he registered, rendered immobile with shock. Then, regaining some of his senses and letting out an impressive snort, Harvey did the only dignified thing he could think of. He promptly left and didn't look back. The laughter followed him all the way down the hall. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've only just watched season 4 and know that Louis hasn't acted terribly well towards Mike for most of this season. This fic is set long before that anyway, but it is probably slightly AU in letting Mike and Louis get so friendly...


	2. A Thousand Tiny Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A friendship is forged from a thousand tiny kindnesses

Mike couldn't have told you exactly why he found Harvey's incoherent squeaking, coupled with an expression of absolute shock - horror? - so funny. It's not that he didn't respect Harvey, but he had to acknowledge he got a real kick out of Louis' shockingly dismissive and ever-so-slightly-camp, maybe even bitchy, retort. It had felt a bit like having a fit of uncontrollable laughing in Sunday School - he knew he would be in trouble for it, knew it wasn't even _that_ funny, but couldn't help it anyway. But most of it, he admitted, was down to having gotten such a strong reaction from a man who normally had his emotions under such rigid control. It was rare to see Harvey at a loss for words.

Harvey for his part, was completely and utterly shocked by the suggestion that he and Mike might - that he might - no it just did not compute. He knew the other associates sometimes gave Mike a hard time about being Harvey's favourite, but really, they had to know it was just work, right? Well - work and a little bit of friendship. Right? Like, _caring_ for the kid didn't mean that.. that.. you know, _that_ was going on between them! Right? I mean - right?

***

By the time Louis' and Mike's laughter had wound itself down, they had somehow managed to forge the beginnings of a tentative but surprisingly ironic bond. Perhaps that was another thing they had in common, a certain playfulness, given the right kind of situation. Their devilish grins as they disentangled themselves and went about their business said that this wasn't over yet. Not by a long shot. Had Harvey stayed around, it would undoubtedly have made him shiver in his expensive shoes at the thought. 

Over time, their shared understanding grew into an odd friendship based on a gentle kind of respectful ribbing. Mike gave Louis a hard time about his mudding and his love of all things feline. Louis made pointed comments about puppy dogs and a fondness for pizza. After a while they began to leave things for each other as small reminders of their in-jokes, not quite pranks, meant to be taken in fun. Mike started by placing a framed photo of an incredibly cute puppy right where Louis' keyboard should be one morning (it took Louis 10 minutes to find the keyboard Mike had hidden). Louis countered with three little nodding-head figurines of delightfully kitsch kittens (complete with mittens) sitting on the edge of Mike's monitor the following day. Harvey noticed them a few days later, with a muttered "what the hell.." but Mike paid him no attention, smiling fondly at the tasteless ornaments and went on typing. One time, Mike 'liberated' the entire stash of raspberry Granola bars that Louis loved from the associate's kitchen, and hid them randomly around Louis' office so that the other man would find them in the most incongruous places. For over a week, Louis would smile to himself whenever he was reaching for some file or a spare pen in his desk drawer and come up clutching a bar instead. As a thank-you, Louis tucked a warm box of cheese-crust pizza under Mike's mouse-pad in time for lunch, having had reception distract Mike long enough to make his secret delivery. 

Of course, Louis still had his bad-ass reputation to maintain, so their new-found friendship did not mean that Mike got a free pass on brow-beatings or impossible piles of assignments. Except that sometimes, when passing a stack of folders to Mike, some of them would contain no files, just post-its with random notes or magazine articles about ballet or cats or even once, a mint condition Marvel comic book. And if chewing him out from an angle that hid his face from the other associates, Louis would twinkle at him as he pretended to read the riot act, in a way that let Mike know it was just for form. It would have been unprofessional to have hinted at any favouritism between them, so their exchanges were done by proxy - the little gifts, notes passed in files, raised eyebrows and little knowing smiles. 

Mike really grew to appreciate Louis' comic genius. Up to now, he had no idea that Louis was often startlingly aware of the effect he had on people.. and that sometimes he played it up for effect. Mike thought that probably nobody else in Pearson Hardman had figured that out to date. It was a strange feeling, to see Louis in action, the faces he pulled, his self-deprecating brand of humour. But Mike could tell it all came at a price. It kept Louis isolated. And many times the older man was hurt by the opinion his colleagues had of him. But it never ceased to amaze him how much Louis could say without actually saying a word. Mike felt his own personal repertoire of grimaces, ticks and weird facial gestures was growing apace, it was like a whole secret language they were developing between them, one that could be flashed across a crowded room, no words necessary. They became experts in hiding laughter behind stoic faces while biting the insides of cheeks. 

Occasionally, late in the evenings - because both Mike and Louis were often in the office long after the others had gone - they would arrange via a series of secret nods and hand signals to meet in the little kitchen just past the bullpen. Mike would brew some coffee (or in Louis' case, if it was after 7pm, a cup of peppermint tea) and would perch on a table while Louis took the chair. They would sit and sip and chatter in that easy way Mike was good at, before grudgingly heading back to the mountains of paperwork they each had in front of them. Those evenings made Mike feel less alone. It was nice, to have some company, and once relieved of the pressure of keeping up a front, Louis was surprisingly good company. And he never failed to say something snarky or affected that would nudge a smile or even a little laugh out of the overworked and overtired young man. 

***

"You know," Louis said one night, long past midnight, when sleep seemed a distant dream. "Harvey - he may never say it, but - you're very important to him." 

"Yeah, I save his ass and make him look good into the bargain. What's not to like?"

"No, I mean, I've known Harvey a long time." He didn't say it, but Mike knew that he really meant, I've been in unrequited lust (love?) with Harvey ever since Harvard. It was one of the unspoken understandings between them. He didn't need to rub it in. "Seriously Mike, he doesn't act this way with anyone else. He defends you, and even when he's pissed at you, well, it's an intense kind of pissed. You have to have noticed that he never gets so emotional over any other person here apart from Donna. And if anybody bothers you - he's like a lion, all 'get away from my associate' about it." Mike sighed and said, a little sadly, "Louis, what do you mean? You know Harvey doesn't think of me that way. I'm just a messy puppy who happens to help him solve cases and who Harvey likes to take grudging care of in an 'oh look, he's an orphan who has fucked up his pitiful life, let's make him our pet project and be all fatherly about it when it suits us' kind of way. Really." 

"I don't agree Mike. I... I think you have a chance, you know? And.. it would be wrong of me not to point that out. I am not saying Harvey has feelings for you yet, or that if he has, that he even knows about it consciously. But I do think the potential is there. And.. well, this is going to sound strange, but - just because I can't, I mean - well - one of us should be happy, right?"

Mike was speechless. He had never expected this. He had to admit, the thought of actually winning Harvey's heart - remote though the chance seemed - was causing an army of butterflies in his stomach. He barely let himself think about this, it was too dangerous, left him too wide open to heartbreak. Because Harvey Specter was a million kinds of awesome, but he was not - definitely not - a relationship kind of guy. And to have that once, maybe a couple of times, and then lose it again? That would hurt. It wasn't worth the risk. Besides, Mike snorted to himself, it's not as if Harvey was actually in any way interested. Was he?

Louis looked at Mike, taking in his doubtful face, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. Looked him straight in the eye and said "Well, how about we give him a little nudge, then?" Mike blinked twice, before blurting out "A nudge? What now?" Louis could see the cogs turning. "I'd help you, you know", he said quietly. "I think if he sees you and me become a little more friendly, well, you know how possessive he is of his things. And I think we both know, you'd like to be his thing. Right?"

Mike thought about it, thought about all the times the older man had stepped in to stake his claim, only to back off again once ownership was established. Maybe Louis had a point. Hell, there wasn't really anything to lose. And you know, it could even be .. fun! "Ok", he said tentatively. "How exactly do you propose to begin..?" Louis smiled his supremely feline smile and poured another cup of tea.. 


	3. Dynamic Duo (but not Batman and Robin)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mike and Louis make a strangely effective tag team... fun ensues..

A couple of weeks later, Donna officially began to worry. "Harvey," she said, "what is up with puppy and the cat-man?" She received a quirk of an eyebrow at the way her words made them sound like a quaint 80's pop band. 

"What do you mean?" Harvey rarely went by the bullpen voluntarily, so he hadn't seen anything particularly note-worthy going on between Mike and Louis lately - at least not since.. well he wasn't even going to _think_ about that particular incident, the image of which was forever engrained uncomfortably in his mind's eye. 

"There's definitely something up. They've been acting all.. ninja lately. Don't tell me you haven't noticed? Like, passing notes to each other when they think nobody is watching" - fools that they are, because Donna is _always_ watching, thought Harvey. "And yesterday I saw Louis sneak up - _sneak_ mind you - on Harold and _take a photo of the back of his neck without him noticing_ and Mike was peeking out from behind the filing cabinets, bent over trying not to laugh at the same time. It's downright _odd_ and it's starting to worry me!"

Harvey decided to take a bit more notice of what was apparently happening right under his nose. His frequency of walk-throughs past the associate's area increased suspiciously and he even took to loitering (except that Harvey Specter did not loiter!) in the corridors after meetings. And if he lurked occasionally, or found shelter behind a cupboard or a coat stand, well - that was entirely peoples' over-active imaginations. Of course it was. 

Harvey found plenty to concern him. There was definitely something odd going on between the two men, and for the life of him Harvey couldn't imagine what. It was so unlikely a pairing. The kid couldn't actually _like_ Louis, could he? So if not liking - what was this _thing_ between them? Harvey noted many strange things including Mike several times casting furtive glances and making strange nodding/pointing gestures with his head. Two seconds later saw Louis darting into the file room, swiftly followed by a shifty looking Mike. Then there was the lunch thing. Mike - who never, I mean _never,_ refused a meal, on the rare occasions Harvey condescended to ask - suddenly began to turn him down. Harvey's interest was piqued but he most definitely didn't follow Mike one warm spring Tuesday to a small but trendy restaurant that was a bit further from the office than PH staff usually ventured. He just happened to be in the same place at the same time. In a corner. Hidden behind a menu. It was a very interesting menu. And that's how he saw Louis arriving after Mike and strolling nonchalantly up to his table, like it was the most natural thing in the world. That was what alerted Harvey to the fact that this was habitual, not a chance meeting. Yes, the two men were most definitely enjoying a very long - too long, damn it, the puppy wasn't being paid to take 2 hour lunches! - meal. Together. And judging by the laughter drifting over the top of Harvey's menu, they were having a very good time. Harvey chanced a glance in their direction and almost choked on his water. If this wasn't some weird form of hallucination, Louis _was actually feeding Mike_ \- from his own plate. His own _fork_. Harvey cringed. In spite of the rather delicious smelling food, Harvey stuck with water and coffee. He was feeling rather unwell, all of a sudden. 

***

"Did you see that?" Louis hissed out of the side of his mouth. "The man is practically gagging on his water over there! Don't stop now, smile at me and then I'll wipe some food off your chin with my napkin."  


"Oh dear God I can't look, he's gone purple. Actual purple. At this rate he'll have a coronary!" Mike snickered, as Louis gracefully - and perhaps a little more tenderly than was strictly necessary - executed the napkin-swipe manoeuvre. Got to hand it to the man, he had the moves!

***

Two days later, Harvey was not-lurking behind a display stand just down from Donna's desk, his jaw gaping wide in surprise. There, on the floor just a few feet away was his blonde associate. Did he mention the part where Mike was _on the floor?_ He was actually crawling along the front of Donna's desk, without the red-haired assistant noticing, as she typed away. One long, lean arm moved upwards, cautiously inched its way to Donna's stapler, lifted the implement carefully and - so slowly that Harvey hardly saw said hand containing aforementioned stapler move - slipped it into his pocket. Out of the corner of his eye, Harvey saw an anxious Louis watch from further down the hall, sporting a look of horrified glee. Once the stapler was secured, Mike's face broke out in what Harvey called 'that stupid victory gloat-grin', the one that made Harvey long to wipe it off by whatever means necessary. He began to retreat the way he came, shuffling backwards on his hands and knees, only to come to an abrupt stop with an involuntary yelp when he slapped right into Harvey's legs. 

"Up, Puppy! Now!"

Donna swivelled in her chair and eyed the pair suspiciously. "If you two are going to do anything lewd, please wait until I have my phone set to video mode", she said, with an evil smirk. Mike scrambled to his feet. He had the good sense to look embarrassed, but simply mumbled '"Scavenger Hunt" like it explained everything. "What the hell?" spat Harvey. "It's just a game Harvey, like a challenge, you dare each other to collect something, without, you know, getting caught. Damnit I guess this means I got caught didn't I? Oh man, Louis will go to town on this one!" Louis had conveniently disappeared for now. Actually, Harvey didn't know who was worse, Mike for being so juvenile or Louis for egging him on, but either way it was inappropriate. Having suitably chastised Mike _and_ having ratted him out to a decidedly unamused Donna, Harvey went to chew Louis a new one for leading his pup astray. Predictably, Louis told him where to go and to mind his own damn business, and they left it at that, each thinking they had adequately made their point.

If anything, however, it seemed not to break up the dynamic duo but to drive it underground. 


	4. Secret Assignations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How to trick a trickster

The events of the previous week stayed with Harvey all through the weekend. It had not made for a restful or particularly pleasant time. He just could not shake the horrible thought that maybe, just maybe, his associate and Louis Litt, of all people, were 'close'. He listed all the reasons it was ridiculous to even consider it. Firstly, and most importantly, a liaison of this nature would be tantamount to professional suicide for Louis. ( _Dear Lord, perhaps that just meant Mike was really good in bed?_ ) Secondly, Harvey knew for a fact that Mike didn't even _like_ Louis. At all. ( _Oh shoot me now, I did **not** just wonder if Louis was really good in bed!_ ) And thirdly, and this was the clincher for Harvey, Mike was HIS. Wasn't he? ( _What, am I jealous now? Of Louis? No way. It's not like I even .. I mean.. it's not that I want Mike that way. But God Damn It - the kid is MY associate. How could he turn to Louis? Louis of all people! The man is a clown! Surely Mike had better taste.. ? Didn't he?_ ) 

It made for a very long, relatively painful weekend. Harvey just could not make sense of it. A fact he hammered home to the very attractive woman who spent a whole hour fiddling with her hair and giving him the bedroom eye in a bar on Saturday night while he rabbited on about two guys she had never even heard of. She huffed off in disgust after that, leaving Harvey alone with his scotch and his disbelief. 

***

Monday morning Harvey decided to tackle the problem head on. He summoned Mike to his office. "Hey Harvey," Mike smiled. "What's up? New case for me?" Harvey smiled back, Mike was always so pleasingly eager. "No, just checking how you're doing on the Masterson briefs." Mike proceeded to fill him in, not that there was much of note, the work Mike had done was flawless and the case was hardly riveting. 

Once Mike had finished the update, Harvey paused and thought how best to broach this. Head on, he thought, no room for cowards in the Law.

"So. How are things?" Oh great. That was direct and to the point, for sure. 

Mike responded with a shrug and a "Fine," without much hesitation. 

"Louis isn't giving you any hassle, is he? Because I can talk to the little shit if -" but here, Mike cut him off mid-sentence with a heartfelt plea of "Don't call him that, Harvey!" Followed by a declaration of "And anyway, no, he's not bothering me. At all" and at that Mike gave a small but maddening little smirk that gave Harvey the strongest urge to wipe right off his pretty little - _uh I mean pretty annoying, yeah annoying, right_ \- face. 

"So.. em, if there's nothing else, I'll get back to those files Louis gave me yesterday. Alright Harvey? Harvey?" The older lawyer gave his best impression of a shrug and returned his attention to the files on his desk (of which he could recall not one single word, in spite of reading each line twice) and signalled the kid's dismissal. Well, that had gone swimmingly. Harvey groaned. Best closer in New York and he couldn't get a rookie kid to spill the beans. Perhaps he was losing his touch.. 

***

Two days later Harvey was on his way to Jessica's office when he noticed something strange further down the corridor, just outside the filing room. He saw an anxious looking Louis open the door and slip inside. Senses heightened, Harvey ducked behind a potted palm and waited. Sure enough, a few seconds later, glancing furtively around and practically _vibrating_ with excitement, Mike Ross was navigating the corridor as if he were a character in a bad spy novel. With one last glance over his shoulder, he slipped through the file room door. But Harvey was sure he hadn't heard the click of the lock engaging. Harvey did his own impression of a cold war spy and shimmied (though he would deny it if ever called out on it) down the corridor double-time. Slowly, silently, he turned the handle, moved his body quietly into the room, and slipped the door closed behind him again. Barely breathing, heart running a mile a minute, he tried to still himself and simply listen. 

"Ross!" Louis' voice was almost petulant, an edge of complaint. "Your hands are _freezing!_ " There was a short snicker, followed by a suspicious _rustling_ that Harvey didn't want to imagine in his mind's eye as the movement of cloth on skin. "So sue me, Litt! Do you want this or not?" and there was a smirk implicit in Mike's tone, a hint of affection in the way Mike said his surname. There was a click _just like the lid of a bottle of lube_ but Harvey quickly banished this thought. Then to Harvey's horror, there came what sounded suspiciously like a _MOAN_ and a purring rendition of "Ooooooh that's good. Shit you have magic fingers. Oh Mike, please don't stop... " and a vaguely wet sliding sound that his brain just wouldn't register at all. But it was Mike's awed whisper of "God, Louis, that's so _tight!_ that spurred Harvey into action, rounding the corner in a flurry of limbs, dreading the scene he would find there - but at the same time, completely unable _not_ to look. 

There sat Louis, wearing only an under-shirt - but thankfully fully clothed from the waist down. Standing behind him was a wary-looking Mike, jacket off but otherwise, also fully clothed ( _Oh thank God!_ Harvey breathed to himself) with his hands buried under the cloth of Louis' under-shirt, a bottle of lotion sitting beside him on a table. Mike shot him a surprised look, and blurted out a "what are you doing here, Harvey?" while Harvey just gaped in return. "For God's sake Harvey," Louis dead-panned. "Have you never seen a guy get a shoulder rub before? It's been a stressful week and one of Mike's many talents is an ability to wrangle knots out of muscle at ten paces. He's a natural." Harvey's brain was having a hard time keeping up. He realised one thing, though, (well, apart from filing that little piece of information about Mike away somewhere that he could use it later), and it was that gaping was not a good look on Harvey Specter. So he shut his mouth, turned on his heel, and promptly fled back the way he came. 

Louis high-fived Mike without being prompted. The two men exchanged a grin. "Want me to finish that massage, Louis? I wasn't kidding about the knots in your neck being so tight!" Louis just smiled and shot out a good-natured "ok - but no taking advantage of this awesome body, Rookie!" before sitting back down to resume the highly pleasurable activity. He figured it was a nice little perk, no harm, no foul. And Jesus, the kid really was good at this shit!

***

That evening as Harvey was leaving the building, he caught sight of Mike standing at the edge of the pavement, a happy look on his face. "Mike," he called. "Can I give you a lift?" 

Immediately Mike's face changed into something fleeting and ever so slightly haunted."No," he said. "No thanks. I'm fine. Just, uhh, don't have my bike with me and am, ahh, waiting for a ride." But he seemed nervous, shifting about from one foot to the other, evidently wishing Harvey would just go already.

Something about his air made Harvey suspicious. He asked Ray to pull over to the side a block down the street so Harvey could watch and see who picked the other man up. If Ray gave any indication that Harvey's behaviour was unusual (read, downright stalkerish), Harvey ignored it. Sure enough, a few minutes later, a black car - a little like Harvey's, actually - slid to a stop at the kerb beside Mike, who quickly got in. The car passed Harvey's vantage point about 10 seconds later, and as Harvey glanced over (from behind a newspaper, of course) to check who was in it, he saw Mike and Louis deep in conversation inside. They looked at ease, content. Harvey couldn't quite place the sinking feeling that sight gave him - obviously he must just be worried about his associate's bad taste in car pool colleagues. Except - Mike didn't have a car, so this wasn't a car pool situation. And wait a minute - if he didn't bring his bike today.. he must have had a reason to leave it behind - that meant they had in all likelihood, made plans in advance. it wasn't just a spur of the moment thing. Mike was - he was - no, couldn't be. But then. Well. It looked very much as if.. Mike was.. going home with LOUIS. For the second time in one day, Harvey's jaw dropped in surprise. He felt suddenly unwell. This simply couldn't be happening. _Oh Mike!_


	5. Guilty Pleasures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mike and Louis start to worry they had gotten just a little bit carried away.. when Harvey finally snaps..

"Hmm.. I don't know, Louis," Mike muttered around his wine glass, as his eyes moved to the darkening sky outside the windows of Louis' condo. 

"What do you mean?" Louis eyed him expectantly. 

"Today, the simulated-sex-massage thing, and then the leaving-work-together thing - it just felt a bit off. I don't even know. I just -" Mike broke off on a sigh, twisting the stem of the wine glass in his fingers, anxiously. 

Louis' face softened and he echoed Mike's sigh. "I know what you mean, Mike. I know Harvey can be obtuse sometimes, and I'd be the first to say he deserves exactly what he gets. But.. I do agree, we kindof crossed a line there today. Honestly? I'm not exactly known for being tasteful at the best of times, but - even if I have no reputation to lose, I shouldn't be egging you on to the detriment of yours! I got carried away with the joke, Mike. Went a bit too far maybe. But I have to admit, it was flattering to think anyone actually believed you'd go out with me in the first place - Ow!" Mike thumped him mercilessly at that, and graced him with a scowl. "Besides, it was a real rush getting that kind of reaction from the great Harvey Specter. I've been goading the man for years and he hasn't so much as swatted me away like a bug. And the past few weeks.. I'd be lying if I didn't say it was beyond gratifying to see him lose his cool. Even if maybe it was a bit cruel to press the advantage... just because you know where to press for it to hurt, doesn't always mean it's the right thing to do. Fun. But - not right maybe." Louis went alarmingly quiet then, doing his fair share of staring at the contents of his glass.

"What?" Mike asked, in response to the look of sadness that Louis briefly flashed his way. "Oh, nothing. Just - it has been such _fun_ being your wingman. You make everything so much fun," and here Louis sighed a genuine kind of sigh.

"Hey - I had fun too you know!" Mike retorted. "I know we were putting on a show to basically mess with Harvey's head, and I guess it worked, at least a little, judging by him acting slightly crazy lately, but it sure made work a whole lot of fun and a _lot_ less lonely. In case you haven't noticed - I'm not exactly mister popularity in there." Mike was silent for a few minutes, before he said what had to be said. "You know, I wasn't just using you Louis. I've enjoyed hanging out with you. It may have started as a way of making Harvey jealous but along the way, the friendship - it was always real... that doesn't change!"

"Oh Mike, I'll deny it if ever asked, but really, you're such a sweet kid! I know. But I also know if you do get with Harvey - and don't pull that long face with me, I'm willing to bet he's thought of nothing else all week - I know it won't be appropriate to keep spending time with _me_. I get it. Really." Louis tried not to sound hurt, even if his big dark eyes yet again betrayed him. Mike looked at him, then snickered - actually snickered - and punched him lightly in the upper arm. "Jeez Louis, who died and made you drama queen of the year? I don't care who I go out with, I don't have enough friends that I can afford to give up on the ones I do have. Man, you don't get rid of me that easy." 

They smiled genuine, easy smiles at each other, relief lighting up Louis' face. Mike was quiet again for a moment, before adding "But you do know I'll never sleep with you, right?" That earned him a slap on the wrist, an honest to God real one, and a totally fake pout. "And Louis?" and here, Mike was all seriousness. "If I ever do get with Harvey, much as I'm grateful for the help, you know, in the same way as I won't discuss you with him - I won't be filling you in on the gory details of what goes on with him. Right?" 

Louis just gave one of his famous eye-rolls. The man really was talented, thought Mike. He could even give Harvey a run for his money in the eye roll department. "Goes without saying, Mikey," the older man muttered. "Goes without saying."

***

Twenty minutes later Mike climbed into the taxi Louis had pre-ordered and got the driver to drop him off outside his crappy little apartment. As he rounded the corner of his corridor, he was fishing for his keys in his pocket, so he didn't see the shadow lurking by his doorway until he almost tripped over a pair of surprisingly well-shod feet. Mike let out a little squeak of surprise - but he did not, repeat _did not,_ flap-like-a-girl.

"Harvey! What are you doing here? Did you call? I totally didn't hear my phone. Wait, do I even have my phone -" Mike broke off to pat his pockets frantically before resuming with a sigh of relief "no, there it is, thank goodness I didn't lose it - and yeah, it's even powered up - was there a problem with the McQuaid briefs? I totally would have found something if there was anything to find, I can look again though, it's still early - did -" Mike knew he was descending into babbling now, something he seemed to do quite frequently when Harvey was around. But this time, something was different. Harvey would usually have stepped in by now, faintly mocking and condescending, or shooting annoyed glares and saying something truly cutting as a way of shutting him up. But this Harvey - and who took the other Harvey and left this one in his place? - this one, he wasn't even listening. 

Mike noted with a vague feeling of concern that his boss was a little pale. Harvey wasn't usually the pale one in this relationship. God, was he ill? No, he didn't look sick. Mike scanned his face, almost desperately. He noticed that all the time Mike was talking, Harvey's eyes never left Mike's lips. Oh wait, had he lost his hearing temporarily, was he trying to read Mike's lips? But no, even then, he wouldn't look so - distraught, would he? And his hair - his hair was - no, Mike must be hallucinating. But his hair looked - dishevelled! As if someone had been running their hands through it relentlessly. Maybe Harvey had come straight from some an assignation with one of those model-slash-waitresses he sometimes picked up - though there had been no court victory to celebrate today and Harvey rarely indulged in _that_ mid week otherwise, Mike had to admit. But if he had, it would have to be something serious to pull Harvey from said waitress-slash-whomever's bed at such an early hour, wouldn't it? It was barely 10pm. So - "Why are you just _standing_ there? What's _wrong?"_

"You!" Harvey whispered. "You're wrong. You." And God how broken did he sound now? Mike's heart gave a little lurch just at the sound. "How could you Mike? How could you - with _him?_ " Mike's breath caught in his throat. This was about him and Louis? Really? But he contented himself with a quiet-sounding rebuttal. "I've done nothing wrong Harvey. Louis and I are not actually sleeping together. But even if we were - what's it to you, anyway? Why does it matter who I sleep with?" Harvey just kept staring at Mike like it was _Mike_ who had lost his sanity, like it was perfectly reasonable to wait for hours outside your associate's horrible apartment with its truly hideous corridor carpets, completely on the wrong side of town - just to tell him it was wrong to sleep with someone else. Someone who was not - well, not Harvey. Mike felt a sudden hope well within his chest. Oh God, maybe Louis had been right all along. Maybe Harvey _did_ want him. Or at least not want anyone else to have him, which was maybe nearly as good.

Resisting the urge to just launch himself at his decidedly dejected boss, Mike made one last stand. After all - it was important that Harvey acknowledge it. He had to actually _ask_ Goddamnit! "Harvey, why are you here? Really. It's been a long day. If you're going to bawl me out, let's get on with it. Because unless you _do_ have some briefs for me to proof, then I'm going to bed."

And maybe Harvey wasn't so good with words after all, because instead of answering, he chose the path of action instead. Actions speak louder, after all. Whether Mike was expecting the flying tackle or not, it ended in the only way these things do, with muttered half-words swallowed in hungry kisses and trails of clothes left across the floor in the haste to _God, get naked already!_ And later that night it ended with Harvey on top of Mike thrusting slowly into the hot tightness of the younger man all the while managing to remain blissfully unaware of the threadbare, cheap old sheets.

Next morning, when Harvey and his puppy arrived in late, at the same time, and positively _glowing_ it was impossible not to know what exactly had transpired the previous evening. Donna, for once, was the one in shock, while Louis just knowingly smiled. Victory never tasted so sweet. Besides, Louis always had been a sucker for a good 'ole love story, after all.


End file.
